Recipe: Red Bean Gumbo--A Unique South Louisiana Delight

Hazel Keller's Red Bean Gumbo
Boil dry red beans until they are so well boiled that the shucks are loosened from the pulp. Mash and strain out the shucks.
Put about a pound of Andouille sausage cut up small in it. Don’t cook the sausage ahead. Let it cook in that gumbo.
(Note from Hazel: I used to make a roux, but I don’t any more.)
Leave that boil until tender 30-60 minutes.
Just before you serve it crack some eggs in it. (about 6 eggs if 6 people are eating it) Maybe you ought to crack them in a bowl first in case they are rotten. Don’t fool with the eggs too much. Let them poach in there.

Taste for seasoning. You might have to add salt. The andouille is usually well seasoned. It won’t be necessary to add other seasonings. Throw in some parsley and shallot greens.

Serve cooked rice on the side or add some cooked rice.

The old folks used to make it without the andouille because they couldn’t afford to put sausage in their gumbo.


Notes from Mary Lou:
I tried this recipe. It did not remind me of any gumbo I had ever eaten, but it was some of the most delicious food I've ever put into my mouth.

Always looking for the easy way to do things, I quickly decided it was too much trouble to push those beans through a strainer. Instead, I put them in the blender.

The mouths I feed delight in burning a little with pepper. I had to add some heat to this great dish.

Thank you, Hazel, for sharing this recipe.